Do you think Barack Obama would make a good President?

I’m sure he would do a better job than ‘lil Bush!

That’s all the details I’ve got!

Edit: Damn, Del and I actually agree on something! SWEET!

If I wrote something, it would be swoony and gushing and pages long… so i’ll link you to someone I agree wholeheartedly with:
http://blag.xkcd.com/2008/01/28/obama/

EDIT: OMG! amazing! (We also agree on tattoos, I think..)

I think he will, although this is a perilous question for any president because there is so much room for failure, including the possibility of nothing getting done.

I think Obama is an excellent vision keeper, which in my mind is an important aspect of leadership. If his fundraising numbers are any indication, Obama is capable of inspiring Americans to action, which is important because I believe that direct influence will be felt in Congress. So I think he has a greater chance of developing a good agenda and getting it pushed through.

The question, of course, requires agreeing with Obama’s sensibilities, which I do. Using the above criteria, one could argue that Bush was a good president because he inspired religious factions to mobilize and had favorable conditions in Congress.

Yes, I think he will be an excellent president. Unlike the current officeholder and the Republican candidate, I think Obama will work to bring our troops home from Iraq. I think he will use diplomacy as a first option rather than attacks. That should be beneficial in dealings with Iran. Our military is spread far too thin around the world right now. As a result, they are not able to be totally effective anywhere.

I am confident that he will work to improve the budget situation and the domestic economy.

I believe that it will be a priority of his administration to seek alternative fuels and force domestic automakers to produce more fuel efficient cars, which they the technology but not the will to do today.

I think he will tackle cutting greenhouse gas emissions, dealing with environmental problems in a more positve way for the environment and the animal life of this planet.

I expect that his administration will take a proactive stance on getting health insurance for all Americans.

I believe that he will make veteran’s care and benefits, which have been handled shockingly badly, a priority and will improve them.

I agree with Kevin that he is a charismatic and inspirational leader who may well create a climate of hope and goodwill rather than one of fear and polarization.

I also agree that Obama is charismatic and inspirational. I think he has good intentions and has buckets more integrity than Hilliary. However, he is also somewhat naive and relatively inexperienced. If elected, I think his presidency will mirror Carter’s. Carter was a good man but was also naive and an ineffective leader. So Obama would probably be a one term president.

If O is a one-term president, it will be because there are so many pre-existing fuckups
already in place that he won’t be able to make the miraculous reversals he’s asked us to
imagine hoping for in one term. With this slightly Democratic congress he’ll have a little edge.
However he’s going to have to deal with a radically unbalanced Supreme Court – if we’re lucky, Justice Stevens will neither retire nor die before Bush leaves office.
It’s going to be very, very uphill. We have to do part of the work. He can’t just wave
a wand.

I think he will make a good president. I’d hate to say it, but I think he is going to be assassinated. The first black president. Black leaders haven’t done so well in America in the past.

@jstringham21 I devoutly hope that you are wrong!

@Marina

As do I!

I agree ‘I also agree that Obama is charismatic and inspirational.’ howevr…..no experience. So no.

I believe he will be a good President, experience or not. Where has experience gotten any other president??

@ladytmerie: I couldn’t agree with you more. Last I checked, colleges don’t offer a major in the Presidency. So if they don’t offer it, how am I supposed to practice being president?

Should I go run off to a little country with a bunch of guns, take over it, and practice my president skills there? Then, would I have enough experience to be president of the United States? Maybe I’ll do it so that I can come back and say “Look at me! I was president of (insert small, newly conquered country name here)! I have the most experience! None of my opponents have had experience being president! I’m the most qualified!”

Experience is not the issue. We should be voting for candidates based on their policies. These policies should benefit the entire country, not just yourself.

I think he might be assassinated too. There are still lots of people out there who can’t handle a black president.

I have a lot of relatives who were ignorant and ill-informed and voted for Bush twice.
Guess who they’ll be voting for now? NOT MCCAIN. So I have some faith in some
people’s ability to learn.
And we must insist that this new president be protected.
It’s terrifying.

I hope so. We need a great president—we have been suffering with Bush for a long, long time.

The only problem I have with Obama is that he talks about change and hope without a lot of substance. Anyone can talk about change, but only a true leader can make something happen. I’m not sure Obama is one of those.

If you want McCain you want Bush. If you want Obama you want Bill Clinton. (A good president)

Clinton screwed up too. Mogadishu was unforgiveable cowardice.